Lead Free Wave and Selective

Soldering Technologies
Ursula Marquez de Tino
April 2007

Vitronics Soltec

Vitronics Soltec

Surface Mount Technology Lab UIC

Binghamton, NY

Agenda
Process Optimization for Wave Soldering
INEMI Project
Process Optimization for Selective Soldering
Elcoteq Project
Major Concerns with Liquid Soldering
Techniques
Solder contamination
Cu dissolution

Process Optimization
Wave Soldering
INEMI Project

Acknowledge

Objective
Impact of process parameters and
materials on solder joint formation
Define process window based on flux
amount, preheat temperatures, contact
time, solder temperature, wave
configuration, and atmosphere
Materials selection: fluxes, alloys,
components and board complexity
Solder Joint Yield: characterize by hole fill
using 5 DX

Taguchi Experiment

Machine Configuration

Test Vehicle

4 Days of Soldering

Analysis of Bridging

SAC 305

Occurrence of Bridging on
QFP

Bridging Through Hole Components

Interactions of Process
Parameters on Bridging

To avoid bridging
Select proper flux amount

Optimal Settings

Open Joints on SOTs

Through Hole Inspection Criteria

Through
Hole
Penetration

Through Hole Penetration

SAC Alloy:
Defect at top quartile
(<75% total hole fill) was
predominate defect.
Most pins had only one
defect.
That defect was
insufficient solder at Slice
3 (top quartile).
There was no major
difference between
observed defects with
different surface finishes.
DPMO for SAC on HAL
between 50 and 300.

Optimized Process

Confirmation Run

Influence of Copper Tie - In

Evaluation of Optimized Liquid Soldering

Techniques: Wave vs Selective

Test s objective:
Compare Wave soldering,
Multiwave Soldering, and
SelectWave Soldering.

SelectWave and Multiwave are

Selective Soldering Techniques

Selected Materials
Materials for this experiment
were defined by customer:
Alloy - SAC305
Flux Interflux 2005 C
Board finish OSP
Board: double sided,
SMT/Through Hole components

Phase I: Wave Soldering

Machine Configuration for
Delta:

Nozzle spray fluxer FC7

(alcohol base flux)
Preheat configuration:
Calrod-Forced convection-IR
lamps
Combi wave former:
Chip + smart wave
Nitrogen on wave
(20-40-60 liter/min)

Taguchi: 9 runs with

5 repetitions.

Determination of Optimized
Parameter Settings for Wave Soldering

Flux amount: High

Preheat: medium 120C
Conveyor speed: medium 130 cm/min
Solder temp.: 265 C
Wave Soldering - Bridging SOT
Flux amount

Thru Hole Filling @ 48 Pins Connector

Preheat temp

Flux amount

250

Preheat temp

40

20
1.6

3.2
Conveyor speed

6.3

90

120
Solder temp

150

40

The Larger the Better

The Smaller the Better

200
30

150
100
1.6

3.2

6.3

90

Conveyor speed

250

120

150

Solder temp

200

30
150
20

100
80

130

180

255

260

265

80

130

180

255

260

265

Phase I: SelectWave Soldering

Machine configuration for
mySelective 6748:

Dropjet fluxer: 130 microns

(alcohol flux)
Preheat configuration:
IR lamps (2 stations)
Select nozzle: 12 mm
Nitrogen: 50 l/min
Solder drainage
conditioner on

Taguchi: 9 runs with

5 repetitions.

Determination of Optimized
Parameter Settings for SelectWave Soldering
Flux amount: High
Preheat: low 80 C
Drag speed: medium 5 mm/s
Solder temp.: 290 C
Select Wave - Thru Hole Penetration
Flux amount

Select Wave - Bridging

Preheat temp

Flux amount

200

1.5

150
125
100
0.7

2.0
Drag speed

5.7

80

115
Solder temp

150

200
175

The Smaller the Better

175

The Larger the Better

Preheat temp

2.0

1.0
0.5
0.0
0.7

2.0
Drag speed

5.7

80

115
Solder temp

150

0.5

5.0

10.0

260

290

320

2.0
1.5
1.0

150

0.5

125

0.0

100
0.5

5.0

10.0

260

290

320

Low drag speed and high temperatures result in pad lifting.

Phase I: MultiWave soldering

Machine Configuration for
mySelective 6748:
(preheat conditions similar to
SelectWave)

Dropjet fluxer: 130 microns

IR lamps (2 stations)
Multi plate with 2 nozzles
Nitrogen: 200 l/min

Taguchi: 9 runs with

5 repetitions.

Determination of Optimized
Parameter Settings for MultiWave Soldering
Flux amount: High
Preheat: low 80 C
Dip time: 3 s
Solder temp.: 320C
Multi Wave - Through hole penetration
Flux amount

240

Multi Wave - Bridging

Preheat temp

225

Preheat temp

20

195
180
3.7
240

9.7
Dip time

14.0

80

115
Solder temp

150

225
210

The Smaller the Better

210

The Larger the Better

Flux amount

25

15
10
5
3.7

9.7

14.0

80

Dip time

25

115

150

Solder temp

20
15

195

10

180
1

260

290

320

5
1

260

Small flux amount results in webbing, flags, bridging.

290

320

Confirming the Optimized Process

All confirmation run boards are
now in thermal cycling chambers.
Thermo cycling 0 to 100 C
Pull test pin connector (after thermo
cycling)
Cross sections inter metallic's SEM
For: Wave Select Wave Multi Wave
soldering

Tensile Strength Analysis

Instron:
Max. load = 5 kN
Speed = 0.5 mm/min (slow to make
to have the crack in the solder)

Failure Mechanisms

Barrel failure
Partial solder and barrel failure
Solder failure
Component failure
Component lead
Solder
Copper barrel

Topside fillet

SelectWave Soldering
The board material is a regular FR4 material with a low Tg value
not suitable for lead-free and selective soldering with high temperatures.
Tensile Strength
Lead-free solder joint SAC305
SelectWave soldering
230

Tensile Strength [N]

220
210
200
190
180
170
260C

290C

320C

Pad lifting and material separation.

Wave Soldering

Tensile Strength
Lead-free solder joint SAC305
Wave soldering
300

Tensile Strength [N]

250

200

150

100

50
V=80cm/min

V=130cm/min

V=180cm/min

Poor hole filling (at high belt speed) result in lower tensile strength.

MultiWave Soldering
Tensile Strength
Lead-free solder joint SAC305
MultiWave soldering

Tensile Strength [N]

250

225

200

175

150
1sec@260C

3sec@260C

3sec@320C

Pad lifting is observed when dipped for 3 seconds

with a high solder temperature.

Pull Testing - Wave

Tensile strength after thermal cycling
Thermal cycles 0 - 100 C
Wave soldering - 265 C - 3.7 seconds

Tensile Strength [N]

250

225

200

175

150

125
0

500_cycles

1000_cycles

Gerjan Diepstraten

Cu barrel weaken as TC increases

2000_cycles

3000_cycles

Pull Testing - SelectWave

Tensile strength after thermal cycling
Thermal cycles 0 - 100 C
Select Wave soldering - 290 C - 2.5 seconds

Tensile Strength [N]

250
225
200
175
150
125
0_cycles

500_cycles

1000_cycles

2000_cycles

3000_cycles

Gerjan Diepstraten

90% mixed and solder failure up to 3000 AATC (90%

barrel failures)

Pull Testing - Multiwave

Tensile strength after thermal cycling
Thermal cycles 0 - 100 C
Mutli Wave soldering - 320 C - 3 seconds
400

Tensile strength [N]

350
300
250
200
150
100
0_cycles

500_cycles

1000_cycles

2000_cycles

3000_cycles

Gerjan Diepstraten

90% mixed and solder failure modes as TC increases. Large

deviation at 2000/3000 TC, different failure modes

Soldering Technology
Affects Process and Yield
Wave Soldering Fast and efficient but, process is
determined by most challenging requirement
resulting in exposing all components, flux, board to
excessive conditions. Allows for through hole
soldering and SMD mass soldering.

Wave

SelectWave

MultiWave

Soldering Technology
Affects Process and Yield
SelectWave Soldering Flexible and exact but, process can be
extended depending on number of joints to be processed.
Defects are minimized to low numbers due to control over
soldering angle, flexible contact time per component, and flux
amount. Optimized through hole penetration and bridge
elimination is observed. Boards and components are only
exposed to minimum requirements.

Wave

SelectWave

MultiWave

Soldering Technology
Affects Process and Yield

MultiWave Soldering Faster yet flexible but, process

is determined by most challenging board element.

Wave

SelectWave

MultiWave

Optimized Soldering Process

Each soldering process was

optimized based on characterizing
individual parameter influence on
defect formation.
This allowed for end user to
troubleshoot the defect and
implement a robust soldering
process for a given soldering
technique
High solder temperatures may
impact board lifetime and result in
pad lifting.
Lower solder temperatures give
equal or even higher tensile strength
if topside solder fillet is achieved.
Copper leaching depends on contact
time and solder temperature. More
data will be collected.

Wave
Flux amount = 6.3 mg/cm2
Preheat temperature = 120 C
Conveyor speed = 130 cm/min
Solder temperature = 265 C
SelectWave
Flux amount = 5.7 mg/cm2
Preheat temperature = 80 C
Drag speed = 5 mm/sec
Solder temperature = 290 C
MultiWave
Flux amount = 14.0 mg/cm2
Preheat temperature = 80 C
Dip time = 3 sec
Solder temperature = 320 C

Major Concerns in Liquid

Soldering

Cu Content in Lead-free Alloys

The dissolution rate of Cu depends on:
Solder temperature.
Copper content in the lead-free alloy
Contamination above 1% has a potential to affect
process and joint quality
Cu6Sn5 formation
Transition from eutectic to pasty range

Alloy Analysis

Contamination Lead Free Alloys

Solder Analysis
Cu contamination: usually tolerable up to 1%.
Driving cause:
Dissolution of Cu from board material.
Fe contamination: maximum amount 0.02%.
Can make joint formation brittle.
Driving cause:
Fe % increases as pot materials dissolve.
Pb contamination: maximum amount 0.1%.
Formation of low melting segments, cracking
and other defects
Driving cause:
Mix alloys, solderpot contamination

Copper Dissolution

Copper etched to highlight.

Measure copper layer at
three different spots for
10 samples.

Copper dissolution:

1
3

Wave: -24% Cu
Select Wave: -8% Cu
Multi Wave: -35% Cu

Thanks